Nacala, 11 April, 2024 / 8:54 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Priests have embraced a fulltime vocation, which they must live, responding to the needs of the people of God under their pastoral care throughout the day, Bishop Alberto Vera Aréjula of the Catholic Diocese of Nacala in Mozambique has said.
In his homily during the April 6 Ordination of Deacon Albertino António to Priesthood, Bishop Aréjula emphasized the need to understand Priestly Ministry as “a vocation that is very different from a profession.”
“A vocation is lived 24 hours a day; it is lived every moment of our lives; it’s not just the vesting of the Alb or the stole that makes us Priests,” the Spanish-born member of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercedarians) said at Immaculate Heart of Mary Carapira Parish of Nacala Diocese.
He highlighted the place of witnessing to the Gospel values as important in living the Priestly vocation, saying, “A vocation is continuous and the most important thing about vocation is to prioritize witness, the witness of the Christian life. We have to be examples to others in our Christian living.”
Bishop Aréjula urged Deacon Albertino to make his Priestly ministry one of service in the example of Jesus Christ, emphasizing, “This vocation to the Priesthood is a service; it's a ministry.”
